Close Encounters of the Third Kind pinball rules and strategy

Hit the left standup to light the spinner, then shoot the spinner from the right flipper. Complete A-B-C, hit a visible star roto target, or finish the five black drops to raise Bonus X. Use the left flipper for the right drop bank, but take a visible star whenever the roto target presents one.

The goal

Hit the left standup first to light the spinner, then use it as the safe repeatable score. Build the end-of-ball payout with A-B-C, star roto hits, and black-bank completions; choose clean edge hits on the drops instead of driving the center of the bank.

  1. Hit the left standup to light the spinner.

  2. From the right flipper, shoot the lit spinner for repeatable scoring.

  3. Complete A-B-C, hit a visible star roto target, or finish the five black drops to raise Bonus X.

  4. Use left-flipper edge shots to finish the right drop bank while protecting the accumulated bonus.

Need to know
Light Spinner
Hit the left standup target.
Raise Bonus X
Complete A-B-C, hit the star roto target, or finish the black drop bank.
Increase Roto Values
Collect A, B, and C to raise their matching visible targets.

Machine setup

  • Identify the electromechanical or solid-state edition, then test A-B-C, both roto-target assemblies, all five black drops and reset, the left spinner standup, spinner, and bonus lamps.
  • Confirm three- or five-ball play, Extra Ball and Special awards, and the Bonus X ceiling: the EM rules reach 3x, while the solid-state instruction card supports additional multiplier progress.
Sources and references
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